The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB

[Lady Penelope]

They won’t ever do that, probably because it would inevitably be an IKEA flat pack retail park stadium.

I've said it before but it is entirely possible to recreate the WFCG on a different site, only better ... larger capacity, more legroom, our own Fanzones (with apologies to the Trent navigation, Binks Yard and soon to be Notts County, all of which are pocketing revenue that comes from the pockets of Forest supporters). It would save on design costs as well, although if I were Merryknackers I would 'get three quotes' and not rely just on Benoy.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Slightly in Forest's defence Chris, I expect that whilst the multi-years-long process for planning permission was on-going, the club probably expected a satisfactory compromise with the city council to be reached over the lease. The council's intransigence over increasing the rent fourfold possibly wasn't factored in - particularly considering that as well as closer to the stadium, the club agreed to fund highway infrastucture work on the city-side of the Trent as part of local authority demands.

And the city council leadership has changed (now it's central government of course, for the time being). Jon Collins was keen to help Forest get things done. I'm not convinced that the current folks have the same vision.

 

[redtreeant]

New stadium with decent facilities and better capacity wouldn't bother me, I know the CG is in a nice location but times move on.

 

[Gyros Peter]

City ground forever for me. Council/government need to sort it. If we were an established prem club a mill a year might be worth talking about, since we aren't by any means they can do one.

 

[Flaggers]

In the same way as councillors and local council ruling parties are transient, it should be noted and remembered that the custodians of my club are also temporary.
I was here before they took over, and I'll be here after they've gone.

 

[thehockleyhustler]

Nottingham Forest could quit City Ground over council rent row

Talks on a new lease have stalled over raising the rent the club pays from £250,000 to around £1m.

www.bbc.co.uk

Nottingham Forest could quit City Ground over council rent row
Published
7 minutes ago


For the first time the club is considering leaving the City Ground

By Hugh Casswell
BBC News, Nottingham

Nottingham Forest could scrap stadium redevelopment plans and relocate due to a row with the local council over rent.

The City Ground is sited on land leased from the city council and there is only 33 years left on the current deal.

Talks about an extension have stalled over the authority's demands the current £250,000 rent is increased to around £1m.

Club chairman Tom Cartledge said unless there was "significant progress" they may have to "look elsewhere".

Forest, currently 17th in the Premier League, have said they need to extend the lease if they are going to invest in expanding the ground's capacity.

The city council has recently had outside commissioners appointed to help it deal with a multi-million budget deficit.

Planning permission for the expansion was granted in 2022
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Cartledge said "We find ourselves in a position where for the first time we're having to consider whether the future is going to be away from the City Ground.

"In the future, football clubs' wage bills are going to be very heavily linked to revenue.

"If we can't grow the revenue, there is a realistic chance we cannot achieve our objectives and grow the playing side and give the manager the resources he needs.

"Unless we start to see some significant progress, it is now having to be a realistic discussion point as to look elsewhere.

"I'm frustrated, the owner is frustrated, because what he wants to do is give back to what he promised the people of Forest which is growth on and off the field and not to be able to do that is tough."

The BBC has approached Nottingham City Council for comment.

So the opposite of what they have just briefed the fan group?

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[Hungry Horace]

What happened to this? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-48680944.amp


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[Cloughie1975]

So the opposite of what they have just briefed the fan group?

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Is there a pattern developing here?

 

[Flaggers]

So the opposite of what they have just briefed the fan group?

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Looks rather like it, doesn't it.

Question is, why?

 

[IvorThirst]

Yeh, the borders get a little confusing around there.

Newstead Village, the other side of the Abbey, is currently Gedling Borough & Sherwood Constituency but used to be part of the Basford District & Ashfield Constituency prior to the boundary changes back in the day.

I am still trying to work out where Dean Henderson’s house is in Ravenshead, we were continually told by Forest Focus through the summer that he had bought one

 

[Gyros Peter]

Looks rather like it, doesn't it.

Question is, why?

The answer is flexing surely.

 

[valspoodle]

One other problem I have noticed in the UK, is the ever increasing number of heavier, SUV-type vehicles, cars that are much more damaging to road surfaces, so that means the roads get torn up even worse, prompting more people to go and get themselves an SUV, because the roads are in such a state…

Yes, the Germans like a nice Mercedes G-Wagen or Porsche Cayenne, but the German road surfaces seem to take this into account, indeed, there were some recent works on a road near where I live, and they came and stripped the entire road surface down to the bed, before relaying (at least) two courses on top. And they did a stretch of about 200m, in a couple of weeks.

Of course, we might have been a bit better of if the Germans had decided to stay at home rather than take over the world in the 1930s.

Having said that they do seem to have done well over the last few years whilst we have engaged in internecine warfare.

 

[Lady Penelope]

Any new lease is likely to have periodic reviews, upwards only. This is especially so since it's HM Government Commissioners who are dealing with it now. Officers of the City Council could, if they so wished, look favourably on a community asset like an EPL football club. The bean counters will not see it that way.
Another message from this is that if you have a lease, you have far more problems than if you have the freehold.

 

[Otis Redding]

And the city council leadership has changed (now it's central government of course, for the time being). Jon Collins was keen to help Forest get things done. I'm not convinced that the current folks have the same vision.

Collins, Chapman and co. had a vision for us to help to radically regenerate the Eastside site more than a decade ago, which is why Nottingham was selected by the FA as a potential 2018 World Cup host-city, ahead of both Derby and Leicester which already had stadiums.

 

[GaribaldiReds]

I am naturally a cynic (you’d never guess) but if I put my cynical hat on, I could a scenario where Forest throw up their hands and give up on the current site, blaming the local council, the Boat Club, residents, and anyone else who can cop some flak, and instead move to some horrendous plastic out of town shithole.

You can see it happening.

Yep. It would have to be a truly exceptional stadium to justify leaving the banks of the Trent, and I fear we would be left with something mediocre.

 

[Cloughie1975]

Collins, Chapman and co. had a vision for us to help to radically regenerate the Eastside site more than a decade ago, which is why Nottingham was selected by the FA as a potential 2018 World Cup host-city, ahead of both Derby and Leicester.

Putin and his cronies had other ideas.

 

[thehockleyhustler]

Truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

We have done zero ground work in an alternative plan but now we realise we must dangle that alternative to get some movement.

Personally, if there is zero scope to develop BC or Trent End, I think we should be seriously considering alternatives anyway.

I love The City Ground but if that means we end up playing 2nd/3rd tier football as our natural place due to limited income, I think it's a sacrifice worth considering.

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[Notcher]

The only thing to do here is continue with the redevelopment as planned. The lease has another 30+ years to run and at some stage the council assets will move out of HM commissioners hands and back the council, at which point we can look to renegotiate the lease.

Either that or EM goes balls deep and tries to buy the land.

 

[Erik]

I've said it before but it is entirely possible to recreate the WFCG on a different site, only better ... larger capacity, more legroom, our own Fanzones (with apologies to the Trent navigation, Binks Yard and soon to be Notts County, all of which are pocketing revenue that comes from the pockets of Forest supporters). It would save on design costs as well, although if I were Merryknackers I would 'get three quotes' and not rely just on Benoy.

Oh Flatpack Stadium,
The smoke rolling in from the burger shop on the corner
My desire is always to get the hell out of here before the traffic builds up
Oh Flatpack stadium.

It doesn't really carry the same sort of feeling or emotion does it?


Just so you know - You will never ever recreate the City Ground somewhere else. It is impossible. It is a unique location with a unique feel to it.

You can try to create something else but the moment Forest leave that location something dies and it will never be recreated.

You can argue all you like for relocating the ground and make some very good valid reasons for it , and many, including myself, would understand them, but don't ever try to sell us utter garbage like 'it is entirely possible to recreate the City Ground elsewhere' because it simply can't happen.

Anyone who thinks we can recreate what we currently have somewhere else simply does not understand it.

 

[Erik]

Either that or EM goes balls deep and tries to buy the land.

Given that the Council has financial difficulties and has the inspectors in that 'buying the land' prospect is probably a lot more possible than it was even just last year.

 

[Gyros Peter]

Given that the Council has financial difficulties and has the inspectors in that 'buying the land' prospect is probably a lot more possible than it was even just last year.

You'd hope that's an option, though I bet they'd ask for daft cash.

 

[Strummer]

You'd hope that's an option, though I bet they'd ask for daft cash.

They certainly would, and even if Forest stumped up the money, there is still the Boat Club and the local NIMBYs to deal with.

 

[valspoodle]

I think what people mean about a new stadium recreating the CG is that it could be built in the style of the flash drawings we got when the upgraded main stand was proposed. It surely doesn't have to be the bowl type cheap things we see all over the place.

Not saying it wouldn't be a crappy bowl, but it doesn't have to be.

 

[Notcher]

Oh Flatpack Stadium,
The smoke rolling in from the burger shop on the corner
My desire is always to get the hell out of here before the traffic builds up
Oh Flatpack stadium.

It doesn't really carry the same sort of feeling or emotion does it?


Just so you know - You will never ever recreate the City Ground somewhere else. It is impossible. It is a unique location with a unique feel to it.

You can try to create something else but the moment Forest leave that location something dies and it will never be recreated.

You can argue all you like for relocating the ground and make some very good valid reasons for it , and many, including myself, would understand them, but don't ever try to sell us utter garbage like 'it is entirely possible to recreate the City Ground elsewhere' because it simply can't happen.

Anyone who thinks we can recreate what we currently have somewhere else simply does not understand it.

100% behind you on this Eric. The stadium is iconic and it immediately invokes passionate feelings. As we know energy is all around us and water is huge energy source, the River Trent gives off huge amounts of energy and that feeds into the city ground.

 

[Gyros Peter]

I think what people mean about a new stadium recreating the CG is that it could be built in the style of the flash drawings we got when the upgraded main stand was proposed. It surely doesn't have to be the bowl type cheap things we see all over the place.

Not saying it wouldn't be a crappy bowl, but it doesn't have to be.

Location is such an important part of the city ground. You can't replace that.